Honolulu Senior AdvisorHow do I check whether an Oahu care home is licensed?
Find the home on the Office of Health Care Assurance's Combined ARCH / Expanded ARCH report, which lists every licensed home with its license number, license type (Type I or II, regular or expanded), licensed capacity and license expiration date; our care home roster is built from the same report.
Then compare three things with what the home tells you: the address on the license (a license is issued for one specific house), the license type (only an expanded ARCH may keep nursing-level residents) and the capacity. The license must also be posted where visitors can see it (HAR 11-100.1-3).
How do I check an assisted living facility or nursing home?
Assisted living facilities appear on OHCA's Assisted Living Facility roster with license number, island and expiration date, and nursing homes are easiest to check on CMS Care Compare, which lists every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home with its star ratings and inspection history.
OHCA's April 2026 assisted living roster lists only 14 licensed assisted living facilities on Oahu, 9 of them in Honolulu, against 455 licensed care homes. CMS lists 27 certified nursing homes in the City and County of Honolulu with 2,679 certified beds; 25 have a CMS overall rating, 16 of them four or five stars (Care Compare data as of October 1, 2026).How do I check a community care foster family home?
Foster family homes are certified rather than licensed, and Community Ties of America, OHCA's designee, maintains certification; ask the case management agency for the home's certificate and renewal date, or call CTA at (808) 234-5380.
OHCA also publishes a foster family home roster that lists each certified caregiver, their island and the number of certified beds, and posts their inspection reports. Because those homes are private residences, we only publish counts by town.
What are the red flags when checking a license?
The main red flags are a home that cannot show a posted license, a license issued for a different address, more residents than the licensed capacity, nursing-level residents in a home that is not an expanded ARCH, and a primary care giver who does not actually live in or staff the home.
- An operator who says a license is “in process” for a home already caring for residents.
- A home that discourages unannounced visits.
- Repeated citations for the same rule across several inspection reports.
- Pressure to sign or pay a large deposit before you have seen the license and the care plan.
If you find an unlicensed home caring for vulnerable adults, report it to OHCA through the Kahua Ike complaint portal. See complaints and abuse.
At a glance
| A license check confirms | A license check does not confirm | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | The home is licensed, for which type and capacity | That a bed is open today |
| Scope | Whether nursing-level residents are allowed (E-ARCH) | The quality of the care giver |
| History | Where inspection reports are posted | Complaints still under investigation |
| Price | Nothing about price | That a rate is fair |
Sources include Hawaii Administrative Rules chapters 11-100.1, 11-90 and 11-800, HRS 321-481 and 321-1.8, Office of Health Care Assurance rosters and pages, the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines, CMS, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
